Former NFL offensive lineman Kyle Turley says he has psychological problems and suicidal thoughts resulting from head injuries sustained while playing football, according to a report in U-T San Diego.

Turley, 37, who played eight years in the NFL with the New Orleans Saints, St. Louis Rams and Kansas City Chiefs, was diagnosed with two concussions in his career but believes he suffered many more. He says he takes medication to control his suicidal thoughts.

"No one in my family has ever gone crazy and killed themselves or thought about that. I have," Turley told U-T San Diego. "It's not a thought that is fleeting. It's a thought that goes away when I'm on my medication, and the thought of doing a lot of crazy things as well and making unbelievable decisions."

Turley said he has called the NFL Life Line, the league's 24-hour confidential support service for players or former players “in personal or emotional crisis.” It was launched last July, two months after Junior Seau committed suicide.

Turley is probably best known in the NFL for throwing the helmet of Jets defensive back Damien Robinson in 2001 after Robinson had grabbed the face mask and twisted the helmet of Saints quarterback Aaron Brooks.

Despite his psychological issues, Turley told U-T San Diego that he still owns a gun.

"I've got as good of a chance as anybody of going down that road into crazy land or into super crazy disease land," Turley said. "I've got every opportunity to probably be in the same boat in the future, and I don't know how far in the future. It's very, very disturbing, very frustrating, very stressful to deal with, especially having children."

Turley has a 4-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter.

"I am on a mission," Turley said. "My mission is to fix this game for my son. ... I think it's going to be inevitable that he wants to follow in his dad's footsteps."